Deep. They are the mouth piece of everyday people; coming from Brooklyn they understand and share a common bond with people from all walks of life. They are here to bring the reality of life we all go through work, birth, death, parties, and relationships. They have begun there journey by winning the Apollo not once but three times. Deep sat down with Singersroom.com to let us know what makes them tick.
How did you guys meet each other?
Elijah: Well, we all met back in elementary school, second grade. We were hanging around playing kickball with each other in the backward.
What are the personalities in the group and what does each member bring to the group?
Elijah: As far as our personalities and stuff like that, Showtime is excitement of the group. Six is like the older brother; he makes sure things get done and structures things. I am the heart of the group and the quiet one; the silent assassin.
Being that you guys are so young, how does it feel to be pursuing your dream?
Showtime: It is beautiful man. Especially doing it the way we are doing it. We get a lot of freedom and creativity freedom, so it is even better. The fact that we are as young as we are just makes it beautiful, we have so much more to do but we have accomplished so much at the same time.
Elijah: We not gonna lie it is also pretty hard too; with us being so young and our family?s wanting us to do a million other things. But they still support us with our dream.
How much input do you have on the creativity process, do you write or producer your songs?
Elijah: Well as far as the creative process goes everything we do is in-house. Which means everything is under Tycoon (Dynasty), all the writing and production is in-house. We have a real strong team inside that knows our sound, know our voices and we all just collaborate and make beautiful music.
Does one person take more of the bulk of writing, when you guys are putting together a song?
Showtime: It depends on the song. Like there might be a song that I have the idea for and I bring it to the table with a verse under my belt already. Or I might be at work or something an Elijah and Six will be at the studio and they got started on something cause our producer Chinks played a beat and triggered something in their mind. They call me to come through and half the song is written already. It really depends on the time and the situation.
Elijah: Everybody has things that they do best, that really shines in the music and you can hear it when you listen to the music. Once you learn the characters of the group you can tell who input what in certain parts of the song that we have.
Do you guys posses different strength when writing a song?
Elijah: Well when it comes to storytelling?and verses I do my thang. When it comes to the pre-chorus, bridge and hook it?s usually Six because his falsetto make a nice blend to mesh into the hook. On the hook?s Show is always there. It?s a puzzle piece everybody is a piece to the puzzle.
Most of your song topics seem very honest like you have been through those situations. Where do you get the topics of your songs?
Elijah: Exactly that. We have been through a lot of situations; everything we haven?t been through we have seen. Everything is hands on. If our hands didn?t touch and we didn?t live it and walk it; then somebody next to us or somebody real close to us has been through it and we interpret that through our music. We speak for everyone.
Showtime: Thats why the name of our album is gonna be ?Reality? because that?s the type of music we do.
Why have you guys chosen to put out your album independently?
Six: Because a lot of labels now-a-days are scared to take risk. A lot of the guys got their little cousin or little nephew working in offices but they don?t know music. I am gonna keep it real with you, a lot of these guys don?t know music when they hear it. Right now the way the industry is everyone is so afraid to lose their job, everyone is afraid to take risk. People don?t know real tunes when they hear it and that is why we are with Tycoon Dynasty, because they heard it.
Elijah: There are a lot of contradictions also because they are scared to take risk then again, they want to bring us in to build their other artist.
Six: There were a lot of things that didn?t make sense. We had a lot of offers on the table but when you work through the hard times you come out a strong person in the end. That?s why indie is so good; we are trying to solidify the independent movement. Right now singing groups are doing it but no singing group has done it big on the independent label. We are gonna be the first ones to do that.
There is a opening in R&B genre for a new group, so what are you going to bring that is different from past R&B groups?
Elijah: It?s not gonna be an album full a clichés. Your not gonna hear song after song about us putting the rose peddles on the floor and lighting some candles, there is more to life than that. We are gonna talk about things we see on the street, the lives we live and that other people have lived. People are gonna characterize with us and see their self inside our music. We are gonna take them on a rollercoaster of emotions, way farther than a lot of these groups are doing.
When you guys are performing what are your mindset that take fans on a emotional rollercoaster with you?
Showtime: In terms of me on stage, the reason I got my name is because on stage I?m a completely different person. It is like an out of body experience, I have a different personality. It?s Showtime on stage not Kenny. I feed off the energy of the crowd, I feed off the energy of the music because the music that we do? is heart felt every line from that page that is being sung out of our mouths is real. We feel that sh*t.
You guys had the opportunity to perform in the Apollo and win. What was that experience like?
Elijah: It was surreal. To be on the stage that you watch on TV every Saturday growing up, is just amazing. To win the audience over is more rewarding.
Showtime: A bunch of people that have never heard of you or seen you, embrace us like they did. They respected what we did and understood. We went up there and did an original song, everybody on there did covers. We went on there and did a original song ?Standing On the Edge? and won them over. So that was a reward within itself, it proved so much to us.
How did you guys hook with DJ Kay Slay to do a mixtape? You usually don?t see Kay Slay doing R&B mixtapes.
Elijah: With the type of music we do, I have got a list of styles people say our sound is like. We have a different style of singing, we have a different style of writing, we have a different style of performing and Kay Slay saw that. Our guys from Tycoon Dynasty brought it up to him and he really fell in love with the sound and feeling that comes a cross when we sing and when we do what we do. So he said he got to be a part of that. We just want to give a shout out to him and thank him for that because he doesn?t mess with R&B singers like that. We are the first R&B group he has done a mixtape for, so that is a privilege.
When do you expect the album to come out and where can people buy it?
Elijah: Valentine?s Day. It will be nationwide.
Is your music a representation of Brooklyn, New York?
Elijah: I would definitely say that. In Brooklyn you can walk down the street and see so many walks of life in ten minutes. I feel like we take you on just as many journey?s on this album.
What are some of the topics you touch on the album?
Elijah: We touch basic R&B topics like losing love, world topics like finding yourself and feeling lost like no nobody knows your alive. Touch topics like losing someone to the streets whether it may be death or somebody getting locked up, whatever circumstances that many come about. We have a song called ?One Song Away? and it?s for everyone that is just about to make it, everyone who feels that they are one step from being perfect at what they do. Whose mother or girlfriend is on their back like when you gonna do it.
Shoutouts.
Blacklight
Fugitive
Peter Pan & Dre
Chink
SND
Twin
Bucket
Stone Love
Barney
Our Parents —— By: Interview by: Adeniyi Omisore
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